Enter the Dragon *** (1973, Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly) – Classic Movie Review 7337

‘The first American produced martial arts spectacular!’ Director Robert Clouse’s 1973 classic martial arts action thriller Enter the Dragon finds Hollywood taking over the kung fu film and sanitising it into a glossy, escapist thriller for the international market. Enter the Dragon is homogenised and mundanely scripted, and yet it is still exciting.

And that it is mainly because it has got the irreplaceable, legendary Bruce Lee as its star, playing the high-kicking champion (called Lee!) hired by spy boss Braithwaite (Geoffrey Weeks) of MI5 to put a gang of drug smugglers and suppliers of hookers out of business.

Lee impresses in great action sequences in his last finished role before his death of a cerebral edema on 20 July 1973 at age 32. San Francisco-born Lee had originally flopped in Hollywood and had to go to Hong Kong to become a star, so this was his homecoming.

But, other than Lee, and John Saxon who has an iconic role as Roper, no one displays an over-abundance of talent and Michael Allin’s screenplay is very cheesy and routine, while Clouse’s direction is also mundane and ordinary.

Also in the cast are Jim Kelly, Shih Kien, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Angela Mao Ying, Betty Chung, Geoffrey Weeks, Bolo Yeung, Peter Archer, and Li-Jen Ho.

It was announced on 24 July 2018 that Deadpool 2 director David Leitch is in early talks with Warner Bros to remake Enter the Dragon.

John Saxon (1935–2020).

John Saxon died from pneumonia on 25 July 2020 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His acting career spanned nearly 60 years and 200 credits. He won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer – Male for This Happy Feeling (1958).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7337

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